Who do you call to Salvage & Tow your Yacht back to the Marina?

I sincerely wish every boater a safe and enjoyable boating experience every time. However there may come a day when lady-luck turns against you and you find yourself needing help at sea. Some of the scenarios you might encounter could come under the following categories....
1) flooding with a high risk of sinking - (the worst case)
2) fire on board (highly dangerous)
3) grounding
4) main engines breakdown making it impossible to maneuver under your own propulsion
5) Steering, propeller, shaft or rudder damage or breakdown .  

Most Marinas have a Rescue Craft that is capable of towing mid size boats

If its a fire, extinguish it immediately using all the means available. A fire onboard could sink the vessel in a matter of minutes. If its the other situations, allow your vessel to drift away from traffic and navigational dangers and anchor the vessel. Ensure your scope is at least 4 times the depth of water. As much as possible, rectify the defect and get back to the Marina on your own steam. That will save you a lot of money. However if that fails you may have no choice but to call for assistance. The first people to call would be your home Marina to tow you back to safety. The MPA has very strict rules governing towing of vessels in Port Waters. Their regulations only allow registered tow vessels to conduct any form of towing. Unless it is an emergency that threatens life & limb, the MPA will insist that you engage a professional towing service. The cost will be upwards from $1,000 in port waters and $6,800+ if you are outside Port waters.

For professional salvage and towing services, I recommend engaging Singapore Salvage Engineers,
 Hotline: +65-67757653 (24hrs)

Singapore Salvage Engineers' Barge salvaging a fishing trawler in Singapore waters

You will need a towing licence from the MPA before you're allowed to conduct any form of towing.
If you're in the high seas (outside port waters), there is no restriction on towing

The Police Coast Guard can help in an emergency. For non emergency situations that is non life threatening they may not come to your assistance at all

A grounding will most certainly cause some damage to your hull and propulsion system. Be sure to have the vessel surveyed for sea worthiness before putting her out to sea again. The worst thing that can happen to a boat is fire & sinking. Sometimes a skipper may deliberately ground the vessel to prevent it from sinking.  

Cruising the Anambas Islands

It's been a very long time since I visited the Anambas Islands, namely Pulau Siantan. My last trip there must have been in 1996 with the late Stephen Seow onboard our 28foot Albacores. Anambas is a good 220nm away. If the weather is good we'll take about 10hrs, cruising at a comfortable 22kts to reach that destination. It's about twice the distance to Tioman. Strangely what I remember about Anambas is the poor fishing and that splendid waterfall that ends up pouring all that lovely fresh water into the sea. It did seem such a waste then, but I was told that that waterfall has never ever been dry. Here are some pictures to show the beauty of the Anambas.

Anambas is a group of Indonesian Islands about 220nm from Singapore

We would usually set up base at Pulau Siantan where the main town is situated

A typical water village fringing the sheltered bay of an Island

Being in the middle of the South China Sea, the waters of Anambas is usually crystal clear & free of pollution

Finding a sheltered bay is easy. There are probably a hundred such bays throughout the group of Islands

Nothing like a trawler to make the journey there. Seen here is The Admiral from Marina at Keppel Bay

Many of the locals still use oars to propel their locally built boats. Great exercise actually 

Unbelievably crystal clear waters. 

I recently met Oliver Benoist, the Founder of The Equator Club. He tells me Anambas is probably his most favorite destination and he should know having been there many times. Here's a video of the one of their trips.

More details of The Equator Club can be found on their website: www.theequatorclub.net/

Dreaming of Phuket

Running my Nautical School, Captain Francis Log has to be one of my fondest business achievements and happiest memories. Shortly after leaving the Singapore Navy on the 2nd Jan 1994, I set my sights on setting up such a training school for the chief purpose of imparting my nautical knowledge and love of the sea to students attending the Powered Pleasure Craft Driving Course (PPCDL). Although the school was a business, it had a lot of elements of fun and adventure in its activities and making money was the least of the priorities at that time. Little did I know then, that the school would flourish into a credible business and bless me financially . Apparently, when I left the Navy, I didn't just loose a job, I was just over broke and needed funds in order to buy boats, rent a classroom and pay staff. All the trappings of a business you might say. Well apart from the wonderfully attentive students I had and that grew to over 6,000, one of my fondest memories were the expeditions I led to exotic island destinations with the Albacores. These were my 28 foot center console inboard diesel boats that we used to journey to Pualau Aur, Tinggi and Tioman and most fondly to Phuket. What an adventure that was. I remember being drenched in sea spray from the day we left Singapore till 4 days later when we reached Au Chalong, Phuket. I will always remember those expeditions as the happiest days of my life. Here are some of the reasons why in pictures.

Scenes like this makes paradise on Earth without having to utter a single word

These Rock Islands make Phuket a paradise on Earth. Nothing beats the beauty of raw nature. 

I made all my trips to Phuket with Stephen Seow, founding owner of Dynaglass, seen here with Mark & me

A beautiful 12kg GT caught on pooper

Trip to Tioman with Tan Hua Chiow, Yeo Ngak Hoe, Robert Merah, Nicole & me at the helm 

Magnificent Bays like this are everywhere in Phuket

These long long-tail boats are the life-blood of transport for Phuket Island

Ko Racha, a stunningly beautiful island, 14nm south of Phuket & a popular resort for the rich & famous

Turquoise waters abound in shallow waters off isolated beaches 

The sandy beaches in Phuket is always clean and free of rubbish

        

Funtasy Island

Fancy having a beach holiday home just 8nm south of Singapore? Well, interest in the Funtasy Island development seems to have taken off extremely well since it's launch 4 years ago. Today's Straits Times full page colour advertisement puts the price of owning the smallest one bedroom unit at S$488,000 for a 993sqft fully furnished Villa, Leasehold till 2112. The biggest attractions is probably it's close proximity (16km) from Sentosa. This equates to a 20 min ferry ride from Harbour Front direct to Funtasy Island. The Customs & Immigration office is probably on the Island itself. Watch the video for an update.

PS: At that price, I'd rather just buy a holiday house boat. That way my scenery can change anytime I wish it to. The mobility of a boat wins hands down when it comes to taking full advantage of what the sea has to offer. I would love to own one of these bungalows, but I'd rather have the flexibility of a boat anytime.

Floating Homes

Wouldn't it be lovely to be able to live in a nice home on the water. Right now the closest thing you can get to that is a house-boat. She won't be as broad, but there will be enough room for a small family of 5 to live comfortably for a long while.

The perfect villa on the water

Notice the 2 boat garages; that way the boats will always be safe when no one's around

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Although being built on stilts is more stable, it's always nicer to be closer to the water

This little pier is good enough for a small boat, but not much else

Having a covered garage with a boat lift will save you thousands of dollars a year in maintenance

This is perhaps the ultimate Boat-House. Catamarans are well suited for this purpose and can cruise to most coastal destinations safely & comfortable.
 

If you're on a budget, this locally built wooden boat is a satisfactory option. But you cannot sail her on the open seas.
She may even have a little trouble coping with wakes in the harbour.  

I recently met a Singapore family living on a Lagoon 400 Catamaran Sailing Yacht. They bought the boat for just over a million dollars. I could see their young children, all 5 of them thoroughly enjoying themselves and growing up in fine fashion. All 5 spoke fluent English and Mandarin. They went about the Marina bare footed in the hot afternoon sun and were seen navigating in and around the narrow pontoons, gangways & boats with the sure-footedness of a mountain goat. What a way to grow up as children. The parents must have deliberated on the decision for years. It was a brave and most correct move.    

6th Midshipman Batch Gathering at Corals

18 members of the 6th Batch of Midshipmen at yesterday's gathering

What is it about old Navy mates that makes getting together so much fun. In 1978, eighty-seven boys joined the Navy Midshipman School at Terror Barracks (Sembawang) in a quest to become Naval Officers. Some were there for just 2.5 yrs of National Service. The majority signed on to make the Navy their career. We were just boys then. Fresh from School and thrust into the rigors of military life enduring our first exposure to regimentation & disciple. It would be the first time we had all privileges & freedom removed from us. The first time we had to sleep in barracks, eat whatever we were given and made to wake up at 4.30am, wash & iron our own clothes, given a rifle and forced to work as a team or perish. It took almost 2 years as a midshipman before we got our hard earned commission by President Benjamin Henry Sheares at the Istana. I had served the Navy as regular from Dec 1978 to Jan 1984 and as a reserve from July 1984 to May 2010. 32 years in all.
I have gained so much from the experience and will always cherish my Navy years as the best years of my life. Now at the half-way point of my life, I intend to live these better years to the fullest of my ability. The'll be no holding back. I will spend time sailing the Riau Archipelago, driving to London from Singapore and touring Australia by Land Cruiser. The first half was a learning adventure. I intend for the 2nd half to be just as adventurous.        

The way we were growing up in the Navy in Pictures.

What happened to Ponggol Marina?

You could say that the center of boating in Singapore used to be Ponggol. There were at least 4 prominent boatels then in the 1970s. There was Ponggol Boatel, Ponggol Boating Centre, Marina View Boatel, Yap Boatel and perhaps another 1 or 2 other smaller operations along the shores of Ponggol beach. Almost all the boats were trailer-ed and kept in the open grounds of the boatels. Boating was a simple enough affair then, with mostly small ski boats and run-abouts powered by outboards. A few wooden Trengganu hull 45 footers were moored off Ponggol Beacon just off the old Ponggol Jetty. 40 odd years have since passed. Things have taken a dramatic change. There are no more boatels in Singapore. They have all been replaced by Marinas. Going clockwise from the North, we have the SAF Yacht Club Sembawang, Marina County Club, Changi Sailing Club, SAF Yacht Club Changi, 1Deg15, Marina at Keppel Bay Republic of Singapore Yacht Club, and finally the famed Raffles Marina at Tuas that started the Marina lifestyle trend 21 years ago. The real question is, have we made giant leaps forward with the introduction of marinas or have we actually made boating affordable only for the rich.

Whatever our opinions may be, Marinas are here to stay and boating will continue to be a rather expensive sport for the majority in the immediate future. That's not a good thing but a reality of "progress". The MPA will not allow you to register a boat in Singapore without producing a Berthing Letter from a registered Marina or Yacht Club. Every registered boat must also be fitted with a transponder, eg the HART or AIS system so that the MPA can track your position & movements. Things have changed indeed from the old days at Ponggol. Have we really progress or have we gone afraid of the free world we now live in?      

The Boat Shed at Marina Country Club 

DP Yacht Services handles Yacht maintenance & repairs

   So what happened to the old Ponggol Boatels. Will boatels ever make a come back again to "allow" us ordinary folks the opportunity to go boating on the "cheap" again. Sometimes all you want is a small 18 footer open boat with a 15hp engine. No need for fancy walk-on pontoons and fancy restaurants. Just a simple open makan place will do, especially when you've just come back from your boat still dripping wet. Enjoy these old pics that I found on the web.

They were it was, not too long ago actually

I used to take a bus there in the 1970s, carrying my inflatable canoe

I can still remember the smells during low tide, it was really rustic but welcoming

The road today leading to Ponggol end

Things have changed for the better. The new Jetty at Ponggol End